Real Estate | Residential Property
Our Residential Property team advises both UK and overseas clients on all aspects of residential property in the UK. Our clients include private individuals, corporates, property investment companies and funds (both within the UK and offshore), trusts, charities and management companies.
In addition to our technical expertise, our clients benefit from our lawyers’ in-depth knowledge of the market and their willingness to pursue practical solutions to complex problems. We understand that transactions are often time-critical and, via our bespoke service, we are proactive in meeting our clients’ goals. Our clients rely on not only our legal expertise but also our tactical and strategic advice in securing opportunities and completing transactions.
Our lawyers offer a professional, responsive service and will frequently work with other members of our clients’ professional team (including surveyors, architects, designers, planning consultants and agents) to deliver our clients’ objectives.
Our expertise:
Our lawyers have an in depth understanding of the UK residential market, with particular knowledge of the prime and super-prime sectors in London. Our areas of expertise include:
- acquisition, financing and disposal of residential property
- letting of residential property
- lease extension and collective enfranchisement
- transfers of equity
- auction purchases
- appointment of contractors and the management of development/refurbishment projects
- tax structuring of UK property ownership
- SDLT, ATED and other property taxation
- property litigation and dispute resolution
The Residential Property team works in conjunction with the Tax and Private Client teams to provide advice in relation to estate planning and succession issues, and with the Construction team in relation to planning, development and refurbishment issues.
Our experience:
- acting for overseas investors on the bulk acquisition of central London apartments
- advising in relation to the re-structuring of a residential investment portfolio
- acting for high-net-worth individuals in the acquisition and disposal of their homes and investment properties
Related Expertise
Our Team
News & Insights
If you want to avoid your life being overlooked, don’t buy a glass fronted flat in a trendy area across the street from a world- renowned museum which wants to exploit its own potential for spectacular views.
The recently launched Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners legal directories have recognised Laytons LLP for a number of key services across London, Manchester and Guildford including Corporate & Commercial, Dispute Resolution, Commercial Property, Family and Property Litigation services.
Obligations to repair defective work in new developments may be owed by tenants, contractors and sub-contractors. Clare Butler considers the nature of these obligations, the difficulties that can arise and the issues identified in the recent case of Office Depot v UBS [2018] EWHC 1494 (TCC).
From 1 October 2018, changes are being made to mandatory licensing of HMOs in England. The Licensing of House in Multiple Occupation (England) Order 2018 (“the 2018 Order”) will replace the 2006 Order and alter the definition of an HMO under the Housing Act 2004.
Tax specialist, Marc Selby has been featured in Telegraph Money in an article highlighting the fact that house buyers are routinely paying too much stamp duty because their solicitors fail to understand complex rules.
Under the MEES Regulations, no commercial property which is required to have an Energy Performance Certificate (“EPC”) can be let for a term certain of more than 6 months, but less than 99 years, unless it’s minimum level of energy prescribed for the property (evidenced in the EPC) is Band E or above.
Planning permission has been granted to Taylor Wimpey UK Limited, and Bovis Homes Limited, for a further 2,350 new homes, comprising an extension of Cambourne New Town in Cambridgeshire.
It is not just the main Carillion companies that may now find themselves in severe financial difficulties. Smaller subcontractors may find themselves having to consider their position with regard to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) and the Pension Regulator.
Since covering the deficit that the Carillion schemes are facing — we take a quick trot through the pension ‘lifeboat’ scheme and what it might mean to the 28,000 members of the 13 Carillion schemes.
As the dust continues to be stirred up following the Carillion collapse, and with a £587m shortfall, now seems a good time to set out what we know so far in relation to the pensions aspects.